The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Opens 2011 Campaign At All-Alabama Classic
2/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 10, 2011
Tournament Notes 
| Tournament Schedule
Directions to Liberty Park
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB softball team will open its 2011 slate Friday at the Hibbett/Easton All-Alabama Softball Classic, which will mark the beginning of the season for every Division I program in the state of Alabama.
The inaugural All-Alabama Classic will feature nine schools in 22 games, beginning on Friday and going through Sunday at the Vestavia Hills Sports Complex at Liberty Park.
The first slate of games, which includes UAB vs. Jacksonville State, will begin on Friday at 3:30 p.m. The Blazers will also face South Alabama Friday at 6 p.m. The Green and Gold will have a pair of games Saturday, facing Samford at 1:30 p.m. and Troy at 4 p.m., before concluding the tournament Sunday against Alabama A&M at 1:30 p.m.
Blazer softball fans can purchase tickets by following the instructions here. A weekend pass is $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Daily tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under.
INAUGURAL ALL-ALABAMA CLASSIC
The inaugural Hibbett/Easton All-Alabama Classic will mark the beginning of the season for every Division I program in the state of Alabama. The tournament will feature nine schools that will meet at the Vestavia Hills Sports Complex at Liberty Park. A total of 22 games will be played between Friday and Sunday. The nine teams that will square off in the classic will be: Alabama, Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Auburn, Jacksonville State, Samford, South Alabama, Troy and UAB. Of the nine teams competing, four (Alabama, Auburn, Jacksonville State and UAB) earned trips to the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
STARTING OFF RIGHT
In UAB's young history, the Blazers have been able to post an impressive record in season openers, and they kept that trend alive in 2010. UAB improved its record to 8-3 in season openers after picking up a 5-1 win over Stephen F. Austin to open the Bulldog Round-Robin at Mississippi State on Feb. 13, 2010. UAB's only losses in season openers came in 2000 against Auburn, 2001 against Troy and in 2009 against LSU. Between 2002 and 2008 the Blazers were 7-0. The Green and Gold will open the 2011 campaign against Jacksonville State on Friday.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
JSU made its third-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season after winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Gamecocks went 0-3 at the Atlanta Regional. Head Coach Jana McGinnis' squad finished the 2010 campaign with a 30-19 overall record and was 13-6 in league play. The Gamecocks return five position starters from last season and three pitchers.
SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
South Alabama finished its 2010 slate with a 21-24 overall record and an 8-10 record in Sun Belt action.The Jaguars return 11 letterwinners and seven starters from last year's squad, including infielder Brittany Fowler, who led the team in batting average (.341), runs (32), hits (47) and triples (3), and tied teammate Haley Hopkins in total bases (68).
SCOUTING SAMFORD
The 2011 campaign will mark Samford's first season under new head coach Stephanie VanBrakle.Last season, the Bulldogs posted a 19-31 overall record and placed eighth in the Southern Conference after finishing 10-14 in league play. Robyn Harmon and Alex Adams will lead the Bulldogs at the plate. Harmon hit .345 last season, while Adams notched 38 hits and a team-high 26 RBI.
SCOUTING TROY
Troy finished as the runner-up in the Sun Belt Conference tournament last season. The Trojans finished with a 27-29 overall record and placed sixth in conference. Head coach Melanie Davis' squad returns 11 letterwinners and eight position starters, including 2010 All-Sun Belt selection, junior first baseman Nikki Hollett, and two-time All-Sun Belt selection, senior pitcher Ashlyn Williams.
SCOUTING ALABAMA A&M
Alabama A&M finished its 2010 season with an 8-25 overall record. The Bulldogs posted a 3-14 mark in league play to finish ninth in the SWAC. Sophomore third baseman Jasmin Riley was named first-team All-SWAC after hitting at a .455 clip with 45 hits, 25 RBI and a .509 on-base percentage.
2011 BLAZERS
UAB lost just two members of its 2010 NCAA tournament team, returning 16 letterwinners and seven position starters in 2011. First-team All-Conference USA selections Mandy Lowman and Kayla Orr will lead the Blazer offensive attack, with second-team All-C-USA selections Alisha Smith and Lauren Webster returning in the circle.
Smith and Webster will be joined in the circle by junior Amber Torres and newcomers Leigh Streetman and Lannah Campbell.
Behind the plate, UAB returns last year's starter, Lowman. The Huntsville, Ala., product finished the season ranked third in the league with 44 RBI. Lowman also ranked sixth in batting average (.343) and on-base percentage (.432). She set a UAB single-season RBI record and recorded 15 multiple-hit games and 10 multiple-RBI games.
With five starters returning and four talented newcomers, the Blazers will have a lot of depth in the infield this season.
Junior Erica Sisson returns for the Blazers at first base.
The Blazers have several options at second base with junior Catherine Douglass and senior Natalie Mitchell competing for the starting job. Head coach Marla Townsend may also utilize freshman Heather Pearson.
Orr, who started all 59 games in 2010, will return at shortstop for the Blazers this season. Orr broke UAB's single-season slugging percentage record (.565), ranked seventh in the league with a .339 batting average and tied for fourth with 43 RBI. She blasted a team-high 10 home runs and had 14 multiple-hit games.
Sophomore Kate Armstrong, who started 54 games for the Blazers last season between second base and designated player, has moved to third base. Armstrong was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team after posting a .260 batting average and a .416 slugging percentage. She recorded 12 extra-base hits and had five home runs.
The Blazers return two starters in the outfield from last season in seniors Caley Walden and Sallie Van Kirk. Walden, who made 55 starts in left field last season, will move over to center field to replace departed senior Martina Landrum. Van Kirk made 54 starts in right field in 2010 and will resume that starting role this season.
Sophomore Hailey Glynn will replace Walden in left field. Glynn made 12 starts in the outfield last season and saw action in 30 games.
THREE BLAZERS TABBED PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
Junior catcher Mandy Lowman, junior shortstop Kayla Orr and sophomore pitcher Lauren Webster were selected to the Conference USA 2011 Preseason All-Conference Team.
After standout seasons, Lowman and Orr were tabbed to the 2010 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-Mideast Region First Team, while Webster was a second-team selection. In addition, Lowman and Orr were named to the All-C-USA First Team, and Webster was named to the All-C-USA Second Team. Webster was also voted the league's Freshman of the Year after recording a 1.77 ERA and a 17-5 overall record, including a perfect 7-0 record in league play.
BLAZERS PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN C-USA
The Blazers have been picked to finish second in this season's conference race. Houston was picked to win the league in 2011, receiving 70 points and three first-place votes from C-USA's nine head coaches. UAB and 2010 C-USA regular season and tournament champion East Carolina both received 63 votes to be chosen to finish as the runners-up.
